Hello Ascension Online Backers. We've been pretty quiet lately, but that's because we've been waiting until everything was finalized and we could share with you some pretty big news.

Many of you have expressed your frustration with the slow progress of the Ascension Online Beta, and believe us - we're right there with you. We sent out a survey a while back looking for your feedback on the state of the client, as well as how you felt it compared to the existing iOS app by Playdek.

Overwhelmingly, you voiced your support for the Playdek app, and we listened. Originally, we'd wanted to build Ascension Online on our own so we could be sure that it was in the hands of a developer who was fully committed to the project.

After building the Ascension iOS app originally, Playdek's services were understandably in demand among other companies interested in bringing their games to iPhone and iPad. At the time, we felt like they had too much on their plate to devote as much attention as was necessary to do everything we wanted to do with digital Ascension, so we came to you for your support to take the project on ourselves.

Our highest priority is ensuring that Ascension Online is the high quality game our fans expect and deserve. After receiving your feedback, and sharing your frustration on the timelines for development, we reached out to Playdek to renew our relationship with them. We are proud to continue work in partnership with Playdek to continue the existing iOS app, as well as to bring Ascension to Android and PC. You can expect the release of Rise of Vigil on iOS this summer, and you will see Ascension on Android this summer and on PC in the fall.

We are committed to ensuring that all backers will receive all of their promised rewards. This new direction on our end will not change that. We hope that the only difference you see will be faster development and a superior product. It also means that we'll be able to get back to releasing expansions on all platforms much sooner, so you can expect to see not only Rise of Vigil , but also Darkness Unleashed, Realms Unraveled and more coming to your favorite device in the not so distant future.

We appreciate your patience and support in this process. In the end, we can only do this because of fans like you, so we always try to make our decisions with your best interests in mind. We think this decision is best for you, and that's why we're making it.

It has been a rocky road up to this point, but we anticipate things will move forward much more smoothly from here on out. Thank you for your continued support.

You can find the official press release on our website here, as well as the answers to some questions we expect to come up below.

In addition to the Playdek news, we wanted to share some pictures of the Ultimate Collector's Edition. We've gone through quite a few iterations of the box for this reward, since we've wanted to ensure that it's at the level of quality our backers deserve, and we've finally gotten there! There will still be a few small changes to this sample design, but here's what the Ultimate Collector's Edition box will look like:

Pretty awesome, huh? We're working with our supplier to finalize these so we can get the Ultimate Collector's Edition rewards out to you as soon as possible!

Thank you again for your support, whether you're at the Ultimate Collector's Edition tier or any other. It is because of fans like you that we're able to do what we love, and for that we are forever grateful.

Ascension Online and Playdek FAQ

Q: What does this mean for Ascension Online Kickstarter rewards?

A: Stone Blade and Playdek are working together to ensure that all rewards from the Ascension Online Kickstarter campaign will be honored under this partnership.

Q: What about reserving my username? Ascension on iOS uses Game Center and usernames are already claimed there.

A: We will do our best to accommodate everyone. However, there is a chance that not all of the names will be available, and for that we apologize in advance.

Q: Will my iOS, Android, and PC accounts be linked and share purchases/achievements? Will I be able to play against cross-platform opponents?

A: Ultimately we still plan for your Ascension accounts to be linked across platforms. so you will be able to play opponents and share your purchases across platforms. Achievements may be a bit trickier, since they're currently built into Game Center, but we aim to have centralized achievements as well.

Q: What does this mean for the Kickstarter backer tournament?

A: We're looking to have the Kickstarter backer tournament after the Ascension PC launch, in order to ensure that people can play on whatever device they prefer.

Q: What does this mean for Ascension Online on PC? When can we expect to see it? Will it be distributed via Steam?

Comments

This is a very general comment for Stone Blade. I honestly think that Ascension is a incredibly well-designed game, suitable more for the casual gamers than the hardcore gamers, when I compare Ascension to other games such as Hearthstone, SolForge, Dominion, Magic, etc, for numerous reasons. I've introduced Ascension to my friends who play board/video games pretty casually, such as those I play hold 'em poker with, and I think you really have an incredible product out there.

But I would love to see you guys take greater pride and ownership in the game, as I believe that the partnership with Playdek and Steam could lead to greater and truly mainstream popularity amongst mobile and PC gamers. I'm always curious to see if I will see the Ascension Apprentice Edition at Wal-mart or Target or something of the sorts. But to achieve that level of success will depend on you guys first and foremost, and for you guys to take ever greater initiative to do so. I mean that in terms of better communications, a clear and well-executed plan from the beginning for putting Ascension on Android and PC, and any other marketing and product-related activities you guys can do to really put Ascension out there. Good luck and cheers.

@Stoneblade: Can you blame your backers who feel that you have bait and switched us? Look at the promises you've made that have been missed, altered, or forgotten since the kickstarter ended.
Missing dates is one thing, but the silence with them is deafening.
Changing back to using playdek means we get a great polished product, but with a year + delay when it comes to getting it on the formats that people backed for here.
The physical rewards that we have gotten took longer then expected, and I know I am not the only one who had disappointments when they came in. The giant kickstarter logo across the back of the shirt I know makes it feel pretty tacky. The custom card that I received has typos both in the text box and the card title. I don't know how everyone else's came out, but that was really a huge letdown. And now the collectors edition that seems very underwhelming compared to the mock-up.
And the digital crossover bonus with solforge for this kickstarter? Total MIA. Haven't heard of an promo card/alt art for either game, and the solforge skin still doesn't exist.
I love your games, and I will still be playing them to be sure. But it's very hard to advocate for people to play ascension and solforge when I feel like I'm being kicked for my loyalty.

Par for the course, on this kickstarter. So many things have been delayed or gone wrong.
Hell, we were promised our Rise of Vigil before stores, which is the whole reason I bumped up my pledge, but my local game store ended up getting theirs a week or 2 earlier. What a waste. But considering what I've read, I count myself lucky to have gotten the game at all.

But what really makes it unforgivable is the absolute worst communication I've seen on this site. Email, message, post, it doesn't matter. The reply from SBE is silence regardless.

Superbacker

The quality of the collector's edition box isn't really my issue. Since I don't have it in my hands, I can't really comment on the quality of it. The problem is that your final model looks absolutely nothing like the picture you used to sell us on the product. It doesn't matter if the new model is high quality. It's not what you advertised. I bought the box based on the design that you represented. Had you represented something close to your final design, I wouldn't have bought it.

Is there a reasonable explanation for why the box was redesigned from the original picture you posted? If the reason is financial, then you have committed a bait and switch. If you are set on delivering this new version, then I would like my money back.

Superbacker

@Mathieu: you are right... in my experience SBE always has done their best to make things right in the past, Maybe I shouldn't be raging as much as I am right now and I should trust them... it's just that for some people $125 is a lot of money & I really do feel like I've been ripped off, I could have very easily used that money for other things. I gave it to SBE though because I like them & I trusted them & when I read this it felt like a punch in the gut.

Superbacker

@Cliff: Yes the "all digital content for life" will be honored, but if playdek is running it, I bought a lot of it already. Also part of the allure of this was that it wasn't being run in the same format/server that Playdek is using. Had they said from the beginning that they were using Playdek, I wouldn't have pledged at all. I would have just gotten the releases as they came out (as they are only $3 or $4 a piece).

@Stoneblade - Thanks guys. I'll do my best to help clarify and work through the problem. Email's been sent, and I'm happy to help any way I can.

@Matthew - Look, I'm pledged in at a $50 level, and I understand the frustration of people at higher levels, but all of this sort of works from the bottom all the way up. Much of what I'm suggesting covers the gap in stuff we've already bought for iOS. That duplicated content is the core of most people's complaints, and what I'm talking to Stoneblade about. As far as I know, your "all digital content for life" pledge is being upheld, so I don't think you have anything to worry about there, but that's me just interpreting Stoneblade's original update on the matter. The promise to live up to all the promised rewards was in the update, and I don't have any reason to doubt they won't live up to that, even if it isn't on the timetable we all would've liked.

@Joey - The "one-size-fits-all" automated approach I'm recommending is, naturally, just a starting point that would cover most cases. Obviously, considering it's been several months, people may have changed email addresses, not have their Playdek accounts matching their Kickstarter email addresses, etc. All of these things are minor details that can get fixed once there's a proposed solution. It might even be as simple as simply getting the email addresses of each backer that they used sent in (survey responses, maybe) and converting that all into an .XML sheet and sent off. The technical steps will get ironed out, I suspect. That's not the concern. What I think we're all looking for is some sort of compromise that irons out the duplicated content a lot of us now have.

@Jason - One thing to keep in mind is that I suspect (and again, I'm only speculating here) is that a good portion of the money we raised for the project went to paying for Playdek's services on the upfront. As long as we're getting quality product for our money, I'm okay with that, even if I (like most of you) am disappointed in the timetable.

As for the Collector's Edition complaints, I don't have a horse in that race, so my opinion's less valuable, but I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt until the next update where there are a lot more pictures and a better detailing of what it looks like. I understand why you guys are upset - the first picture's not very flattering and compared to the mockup, is pretty disappointing - but let's give Stoneblade the chance to show it off a bit more in-depth.

So what exactly am I getting for my $95 pledge? I own all the iOS expansions and promo cards. I don't have an android device and don't want to play this on my PC.
How about giving me back half my pledge in the form of an App Store gift card?

Wow, what a disappointing update. I backed at the $50, after having very nearly backed at the ultimate collectors edition. After seeing the new box I can't tell you how glad I am that I had some restraint!

I do agree with @Cliff about how often software projects over run and are so readily under estimated from lack of experience. I've seen it many many times since I've been developing software.

I would suggest that the best remedial actions you guys would be to:
1. Reassess that collectors box, it's so far from the original concept advertised it's bound to put people noses out.
2. Consider how any further expansions to the playdex could be a kickstarter first benefit. So backers get them a couple of months before general availability for instance.
3. Consider upgrading people so everyone gets an extra 5 digital expansions past the current latest physical games
4. Be honest and communicate more regularly going forward

I appreciate people don't work for free, and depending on how many devs you had working on things, that $180k won't have lasted long.

You could at least give us a bunch of Sol Forge draft tickets since we have to wait another million years for Android/PC versions, which is the ONLY reason I kickstarted it (I love the physical game, but don't own an iOS device)

I backed this at the $100 All-Digital Tier for Stoneblade's version of Ascension Online, NOT Playdek's version. I already owned all of the Playdek iOS content before the kickstarter launched, and was told everyone would have to rebuy the game and expansions with Stoneblade's version of the game and that the Playdek version of the game was shutting down. Knowing that you would simply go back to Playdek and now allow them to continue to develop the game (and therefore making this kickstarter completely pointless) I definitely would not have backed this at the $100 level. I am incredibly disappointed really do feel like Stoneblade has completely ripped me off.

@Cliff, The issue for me is that my Kickstarter account isn't the same as the account I used to purchase expansions on iOS (I bought them on my girlfriend's phone, as I do not own any Apple products) and I doubt there is any way to rectify that sort of situation.
Honestly, other than being completely in the dark about the entire process while Sol Forge was given what seemed to be 100% of Stoneblade's attention, was really my only issue with the development so far. At this point I feel like I haven't paid for Ascension Online, but instead backed Sol Forge, a game that I'm not incredibly excited about.

Superbacker

@Cliff, @StoneBlade: Cliff's solution only helps people that got a $10 tier. There were a lot of people that spend a LOT of money here and the majority of people are not only angry, but feel like they were deceived to get their money. I personally spent $125 and this new direction literally does nothing for me as I already had the ios version and all expansions that have been released for it.

Many people who supported you here are also Solforge players and this leaves a lot of people feeling betrayed. The easiest thing to do here is to return people's money if they want it. Solforge and Ascension make you a lot of money right now, it's not worth the ill will you that this is generating.

@ Cliff- we sent you a personal message to follow up. Your comments are well thought out and appreciated and we want to make it right for all our backers that feel slighted as best we are able.

Regarding the Collector's Edition, we are committed to delivering a premium quality product. The box looks a lot better in person than it does in those photos and we went through many iterations to get to this point. We will dedicate an update to showing off more of the Collector's Edition to help show off the quality of that product better.

On the playdek aspect of things, I'm just glad to hear there is progress being made in getting the digital game back in action. I loved Rise of Vigil, and am very sad I never got to play it much while it was "fresh" due to lack of local action and no digital client. Realms Unraveled has been fun so far, but I've only gotten to play with a handful of people, and I feel like i'll never get to play it online until 2-3 physical sets down the line.
I just hope playdek can keep up production schedule, given their enormous catalogue they are working to support. I trust that the funds raised here are going to be paying for a lot of the content that is getting developed by them.

What isn't ok is the Collectors edition box. That image you posted above must be a joke. Please tell me that you aren't going to send us a laser cut wooden box with an etching on top vs the beautiful mock up that was posted 16 months ago, and the reason I backed this project. I'm already disappointed that by the time I get the collectors edition, it will be barely 1/2 of the physical content that has been printed. I'm sad that i have no faith in SBE to deliver on future collectors edition versions of sets from Rise forward. And that I won't even want to show off my collectors edition because the box is hideous is the icing on the disappointment cake.

This campaign has left a terrible taste in my mouth, and is one of the reasons I no longer back video games. There is no accountability for the bait and switch, and our good will has been abused. I can only imagine what the poor souls who gave hundreds of dollars feel like. Enjoy my stolen money, it'll be the last cent you see from a formerly diehard fan.

Look guys, I'm trying to be understanding about this, but I want you to see it from where I and at least a few other people are coming from. When several of us got into this Kickstarter, it was because the iOS version of Ascension was planned to end, to be replaced by your version. The PC version's going to be a nice perk and all, but that's all it really was. Very few of my friends use Android phones, so that wasn't a factor to us either. We're long-standing loyal customers for both the iOS version and the physical version. We wanted to continue to play on our iOS devices. The narrative that you spun was that the Kickstarter was needed to fund that, as well as the Android and PC versions, which would be unified. The Kickstarter you launched was, in essence, serving three masters, i.e. platforms. So you've got three disparate groups, each with their own expectations for the project.

You're behind schedule. That's fine. It would've been good if you'd updated us sooner, but running late is part of both game development and Kickstarter. Nobody ever seems to think it's going to take as long as it does. (Believe me, 14 years of videogames industry experience speaking here...) You didn't anticipate the complexity of the task. It's a common first-timer mistake. Nothing wrong with that. You live, you learn, you get better. It's part of the challenge.

The reason me and mine are upset, though, still stands. The story we were presented with was "We're turning off the existing Ascension iOS game to make something that'll be cross-platform, so you'll be able to play it on multiple platforms with a much larger audience. However, you're probably going to have to rebuy all the content you've already bought." Faced with the choice of a) rebuying all the content and ensuring that we could continue to play Ascension on our iPhones or b) losing out on playing Ascension on our iPhones at all, a number of us bit the bullet and chose B, and essentially double-dipped for content we already had, pledging at levels where one of the main rewards was "all of our expansions up to Immortal Heroes on Android and PC" specifically because it would ensure we'd also get them on iOS again when iOS returned, because as you told us, the Playdek app was going to be going away so you could bring it in-house.

I'm not upset that you wanted to bring it back in-house. Ceding some control to an outside developer adds more layers of complication and means you can't always give users answers as quickly as you'd like. It means you're a step removed from direct control. I've worked for game companies where we had third-parties developing our IPs, and there are challenges that come with that. And when you realized that your internal development team wasn't up to the task of meeting or beating the expectations set by the previous team, you went back to them. That's also fine. Most of us are actually glad you're pairing up with Playdek again. They've generally been good to the game, fixing crash bugs and keeping the game in good shape. I have no doubt that "Rise Of The Vigil" and the further expansions will be in fine form digitally.

Now, here's where we get to the crux of it. A number of us loyal iOS users who Kickstarted specifically to ensure that we would continue to have an iOS game get the short end of the stick here, because it would've actually been beneficial for us NOT to back the project. I've bought the game and all expansions for iOS to date, and I'd been resigned to the fact that to ensure that we would continue to have that, we would need to buy it all a second time. So I backed the Kickstarter. Now, if I *hadn't* backed the Kickstarter, I would've been in almost exactly the same place I am right now. I already have all the existing iOS content, so when the PC/Android versions come online, I would already have that content across all three platforms. Yes, I would miss out on some of the minor rewards - the starting deck, the avatar, the tournament at some point - but the core item at the center of the pledge, "all of our expansions up to Immortal Heroes on Android and PC," is now, in essence, meaningless to me. Because I already have that. And would've had that without backing your project.

I'm not one of the people demanding the project be reported, because that's not helpful to the conversation at hand. I understand the road that got us here, and I empathize. Software development's a bitch, and it's easy to underestimate what it's going to take. But put yourselves in our shoes. You are, in essence, punishing us iOS users for helping to fund your Kickstarter, and offering less than we originally got, because when the PC/Android versions get turned on, we'll already have the core $10 pledge, and would've even if we hadn't backed.

I can overlook the delays. I can overlook the lack of communication while you were in contract negotiations, because I've done those too, and it often feels like glaciers drifting. (We developed an entire game based on someone else's IP DURING the contract negotiations at one point - we knew the contract was going to happen, just the details needed ironing out. Long story.) I can overlook the flip-flopping of direction. What's hard for me to overlook is that the core concept of what I bought into with this Kickstarter I would've gotten without backing the Kickstarter, and there isn't anything being offered as way of apology/conciliation for the many of us who did. It's a bitter pill that it would've been better for us as end users of the iOS version to not support you than it is for us to be backers at this point.

I'm not asking for my money back. I'm not asking for us all to suddenly be elevated pledge levels or some other unreasonable demand. You guys have a business to run, and I don't want you to shut down any more than you do. But this is a pretty tangled mess you've gotten us into. I stand by my suggestion from the earlier comment I made - take the hit. Give all the backers from this Kickstarter "Rise Of The Vigil" free on their account, and make a bundle of a large number of the promo cards that haven't been printed digitally yet and also credit that free to them as well. It's a hit in income, I know, and it's going to be frustrating to see that profit disappear into the aether, but keep in mind, that's exactly how a lot of us feel about our base pledges right now, and in the end, we're still getting less than we would've if we hadn't backed you. I anticipate that "Rise Of The Vigil" will run $2.99 or $3.99 digitally, much like most of the previous digital expansions. If you take that out of the $10 core pledge, I'd still have $6 left. I'm willing to chalk that up to learning experience on both sides and call it good. But I think leaving things as they are, where the people who backed you, those of us who have paid not once, not twice, but three times into a game (physical/iOS/Kickstarter) should have some kind of reparations.

Don't give the people who supported you a third time less than those didn't back the Kickstarter, guys, because right now I've bought the first four sets of Ascension three times (physical/iOS/Kickstarter)... and gotten two copies (physical/all platforms), which I would've gotten if I'd just skipped the Kickstarter. It's an uncomfortable place for me to be sitting, because it feels like the customers who have most contributed to your success are getting the least for their money. That's all I'm saying here. Think about it. If you want to reach out to me personally, feel free to shoot me a Kickstarter message and I'll pass on my email or phone. I'll probably be the most reasonable upset voice you'll ever encounter. After all, I was an online community manager for a long time. :)

Sorry StoneBlade, you don't get out of the loop and take $180K+ backer money. Like others, I have been miffed with the TOTAL lack of communication in regards to getting physical product as well as getting a beta access key (which as of this writing I have YET to get from you folks, even after numerous attempts to contact with no reply). In addition, as others have mentioned, the product you are displaying above in NO way resembles what you were showing in the project. I think you should honestly look in the mirror and really think if you are doing the project well by going through the back door and rehiring PlayDek, who also lacks in communication in regards to bugs and other issues with the Ascension iOS app, which was already created way before this project started. Basically, what did our $180K go to...fattening your wallets? I have seen very little of the money go toward any of the items in the various pledge levels.
And I will encourage all backers to report this project to Kickstarter folks since it no longer will do what the project initially says.

I also honestly wonder what was Playdek's role in the breakdown of the SB-Playdek partnership last year. We are making out Playdek to be saints in a shining armor, but I honestly wonder if that is truly the case. I will say that at least SB has communicated time to time on the whole Ascension Online episode, whereas Playdek has not uttered a word.

So have contract negotiations hamstrung communication the whole duration of the kickstarter or is that just your excuse for the total lack of updates in the last month or so? Also how are expansions for life really a realistic thing? You mean for as long as you have a relationship with playdek because that didn't exactly last too long the first time. The point is that not only would I as well as many others not have backed if it was known just rehiring playdek was a possibility but how the hell are we supposed to trust this company again? I for one won't hold my breath on you fulfilling any of your promises from here on out. You're right many kickstarters have delays but few have this little transparency and complete lack of customer service through out the whole process.

How about you comment on your shitty new box? I assure you not one person that dropped 400 plus on it expecting something that looked like the original box is excited about this. As someone else already said classic bait and switch it seems. I will be reporting this to kickstarter also later today if you don't address the box issue.

We understand that many of you are worried and feel slighted. We sincerely apologize for being behind schedule and for the lack of communication. We are moving in this direction because we feel it is best for all of our backers. Both companies have made a commitment to focus all the resources necessary to get Ascension to Android and PC as quickly as possible as well as to deliver on the major features and content that will make for the best gaming experience.

This partnership will allow us to deliver on all of the promises that were made during the campaign far faster (and at higher quality) than we could have done by continuing to develop everything internally.

Some key points to address comments below:

- All of the physical rewards except for the collector's edition have been delivered (if you have not received yours contact support@stoneblade.com).

-Ascension will be playable cross-platform on Android, PC, and iOS. Any content purchased for one platform will be available on all of the others without additional cost.

-All digital rewards will be delivered including digital Ascension for life.

We will continue to monitor these forums and keep you posted on progress. Our communication will be much better going forward now that we are not hamstrung by contract negotiations.

We are not the first kickstarter to run behind schedule, and though we aren't happy about the timelines, we strongly believe that everyone will be happy with the final product.

As always, we appreciate your patience and support along with your constructive criticism.

Not being in the US, it only made sense to pledge for the Digital Only Tier - then I could have the game on PC in addition to the iOS version that I already owned. I've only gotten the beta access out of this, and well it being just the base set beta I still end up going back to the iOS version with all the sets and promo cards. Where do I stand after all this?

- Considering that I backed the project so as to see the game out on other platforms (and get a free copy for said platforms) will I be able to download the game (plus expansions and promo sets) free on other platforms once it is out?

- Will I be able to look forward to still getting Digital Ascension for Life? And on all platforms?

- What will happen to the Free Digital Expansion for Ascension Online under stretch goals?

The lack of communication is bad and I honestly have no faith in what has been done with the pledges since the beta. Right now I'm wondering what I'm supporting this for anymore - it feels like I've pledge to get the beta as the final product and no other rewards.

Superbacker

I'm going to wait 24 hours for StoneBlade to give me a good reason to not report the project or to offer a refund, but otherwise I am going that route. I will also immediately discontinue putting any money into Solforge and will be rather vocal in that community about what they did.

A shame SBE couldn't make it on their own, but so long as Playdek can keep up their level of quality given everything else they've got in the pipeline, this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

This Kickstarter was not focused on the new iOS version, it was about bringing Ascension to Android and PC. They took a shot at it, but if it turns out that partnering with Playdek (who already has an iOS version superior to the early PC beta release) is the way to do it, so much the better. With their contract renewed, the iOS version can stay the way it is and still get new content. No need to waste labor for SBE to reinvent it.

Considering Playdek has a grand total of one game on Android and zero on PC, it's possible that without this effort we'd never see the game on these platforms, or would be in the even more distant future.

I can understand that some people may be upset, but I disagree that Stone Blade is "walking away" or simply "running back" to Playdek. In the long run this is probably a good thing for the digital game, though certainly much slower to release than we expected. If you're shocked by that, welcome to Kickstarter.

I guess im one of the guys this doesn't bother. got all my rewards when promised(it was shipped in 2 parts but only 1 week delivery difference) last july. I dont have a copy of playdeks version so I can finally get all free since I got the cult smasher tier. I'm just curious on how I can download them for free now. An official response would be appreciated.

As for customer service: I have always had all my emails answered within a week. The lack of updates have disappointed me a little but i still remain hopeful.

@Ben, do what others have done and report this kickstarter support. They can't say "sorry we can't do it" and walk away. I myself have gotten personally "hosed" by Stoneblade for over 1 year now (got my vigil in April this year) but still no beta invite or access. I have emailed them to death without success. I was a big supporter but now I tell everyone who is even thinking of buy ascension my story and they don't buy it after that. Pretty sad since the game is great but customer service sucks big time.

Superbacker

I'm just about as unhappy as anyone else (especially those the people who pledged for the ultimate collector's edition). Honestly I'm pretty ready to report the project too.

Quarterly updates on a game that should have been out six months ago is ridiculous. the utter lack of transparency since the end of the project has been appalling. The $185K for the game probably went into developing the last few expansions that have come out rather than making the digital game. And all "apologies" are as empty as the promises of "it's going to be awesome".

And the reveal of the new "awesome" box is the most disappointing part of it of all.The box in the original pictures looked phenomenal, and the laser cut hobby box that looks like it is made of balsa wood is not remotely what was promised. I understand a company has to make profits, but such a huge downgrade in quality is unacceptable. I really don't see the new box as a storage system/ game board as promised either. Bottom line: they should have already had the manufacturer set for the box when they showed us the prototype and taken the hit in profits for the 50 or so boxes that they promised to make when the quotes for the box were "too high". Oh well, a company lives and dies by it treats its customers, and loyal customers is what seems this kickstarter has lost Stone Blade. The only thing I have to look forward to is seeing the card I designed in print. That's it.

I just wish that it wasn't waaaay too late for a refund, and that I discovered Legendary after this kickstarter.

The only nice thing I have to say is that the guy at their booth at Origins that I talked to this year was far more forthcoming and genuinely apologetic than any message they have written and the guy I talked to at their booth last year.

This is completely ridiculous, I would have never pledged if I knew you were going to run back to playdek. What the hell was the point of everyone pledging? You just wasted a bunch of money and then went to playdek because you couldn't get things done. Where do we get in line to get our money back? I love how you admit the playdek thing has been in the works for a while and we were kept in the dark b/c the deal had to be finalized first but more importantly so you could keep it hush hush and scam all of the backers by taking actions directly in opposition of the whole point of kickstarting the project.

What a shock....NOT! I have been trying to get my bet copy (still no word) and this now comes down. I think everyone who has backed this project should report it to kickstarter. I am sorry but they are NOT living up to the spirit or terms of this kickstarter. And saying they are giving it to Playdek is definitely NOT acceptable. So please join me in reporting this kickstarter

Well said Cliff, I'm also really peeved about this, not only to what we were getting but to how we were treated. I feel really scammed on this. If you had continued your relationship with playdek each expansion would have been a few dollars only. I got the life time digital life time. so unless you make like 30 expansions. I would not have gotten my moneys worth. Sure you can say that the pledge was to support... but now there was nothing to support. You guys should be really ashamed of yourselves. I understand that you guys had really high hopes but honestly where did all this money go? You say that you share our frustration, I highly doubt you feel our frustration. I think embarrassed is more correct. And as you should. I understand in life sometimes we have huge expectations and I believe that you did want to do all those amazing things you had planned. I think if you guys had treated us a lot better with communication maybe we wouldn't be as pissed off. My Hereos wanted kickstarter had over 60 updates. its been over a year and some months and we literally got a few promo cards and a quarter functioning beta.

Very rare is it I would turn down a job, but I absolutely would NOT take on the job of the community manager over at Stoneblade Entertainment today. This whole Ascension Online debacle is an utter nightmare, and the community is, rightfully, furious. $180k from the community into their Kickstarter only to get, in essence, nothing other than spit in the eye.

Let me give you an example. I kickstarted at the $50 level. That meant I got an advance copy of one of the physical expansions, a few promo cards and the first four sets free for the new PC version. Except that now that they've gone back to Playdek, Inc. very little of that actually matters, because I already have everything that's out on iOS, because I love the game. And since the accounts are all going to be linked together, I've, in essence, bought the first four sets twice, when I didn't actually have to. Can you understand why this might frustrate people?

I understand the problem that Stoneblade had gotten themselves into - making games is hard, and they underestimated the amount of work that went into Playdek's version, so while they've been trying to get everything sorted out, the money kept ticking away and the community kept getting more and more frustrated. I've been working in the videogames industry for 14 years. I know making games is hard. I've watched more than my fair share fail, ones that I've worked on and hoped for.

Deciding to pair back up with Playdek isn't the problem. That, if anything, is the silver lining of all of this. The game that I've sunken something like $30 into digitally (I've been a first-stage adopter of every version/expansion/promo pack) is still going to be around and continue to grow. That's good. I like that. Also, Playdek has mostly been good to their product, releasing fixes and improving the UI. (Let's not talk about that disastrous flirtation with in-game advertising, though...) So I can understand why Stoneblade went back to Playdek, and I'm pleased by that decision, because I know that Playdek will get things turned around and get everything back on track.

For me, the biggest problem is the amount we as users put towards this program, and how that's basically gone up in smoke. We're not just being double-dipped, we're being triple-dipped, and that's where I think they've crossed the line. There's a lot of Kickstarter digital benefits that we're going to get, according to the post that Stoneblade made, but you'll understand why we're a bit gunshy at this point. Here we are, six months past your intended ship date, only to find out the company's backing away and turning it back over to Playdek. Even though it's the right call, I think there's a lot of bridge rebuilding Stoneblade needs to do to restore faith that this isn't a great big middle finger to its fanbase.

I was a backer purely to ensure that there'd be another version of Ascension Online when the Playdek relationship went away. I have an iOS phone. I've bought all the expansions as they've come out, both physically and digitally (although I haven't gotten all of the promos physically, simply because of the prohibitive cost of shipping, and because the Ascension store seems to be out of them more often than it has them...) so I'm absolutely a fan of this game. But you convinced me to buy it a second time, and then told me I didn't need to do that in the first place, but you're still keeping the money. You can see why this might leave a bitter taste in my mouth, yeah?

I'll tell you what my suggestion is, and I doubt anyone over at Stoneblade OR Playdek's going to like it, but realize you've burned us pretty badly at this point. Make Rise Of The Vigil free to every Kickstarter backer. You have our email addresses, and you've got to have an email address to play the Playdek version, so you can check all of that. On top of that, put every remaining promo card into one big "we're sorry" pack, and add that to each backer's digital account as well. It probably wouldn't hurt to give physical copies of all the promo packs to players who kickstarted at the $50 level or higher as well, but I can understand the physical cost of goods might make that prohibitive, and I don't want the company to go out of business. But digital goods only cost you the development costs, and at this point, we as a community put in $180k into a project that has, for all intents and purposes, been abandoned. That's your call to make. But even with the fact that Playdek, who's proven to be an accomplished developer, taking back over, a lot of us still feel like you convinced us to pay twice for content and then yanked the rug out from under us because as it turns out, we didn't need to.

It's a rough day over there, Stoneblade, I'm sure of it, but at this point, I think you just have to take the hit. Give all 2600 users a free digital copy of Rise Of The Vigil and all the promos thusfar, and maybe we'll have cooled down enough to buy digital versions of the following expansions afterwards, because we know you're going to ask us to pony up for them. Most of us will, but I think you'll find "most" is a lot less than it used to be. Because right now, you're going to find a lot of people feel pretty badly burned by all of this....

All of the physical rewards (with the exception of the Ultimate Collector's Edition) should have been shipped out already. If you are missing any physical rewards, please contact our support team at support@stoneblade.com

Our number one goal with this Kickstarter has always been to provide our fans with an awesome digital Ascension experience, no matter what platform they choose to play on. The feedback we received on our PC beta client indicated that we were falling far short of that goal, and we felt renewing our partnership with Playdek was the best way to ensure that our fans end up getting the great gaming experience we deserve.

As stated in the post and FAQ, we intend on fulfilling all of the Kickstarter rewards you pledged to receive. This change in direction for development internally shouldn't impact you, except to ensure that you receive a better final product in a more timely fashion.

We've been working with Playdek to make this happen for quite a while - we have already received internal versions of both Rise of Vigil on iOS and the Ascension Android client. We weren't able to make the news public until the details of the deal between our two companies was finalized, but now it is, and you can expect to see much more frequent progress updates in the near future.

To the guys saying they never got their physical rewards other than the collector's edition, just email support@stoneblade.com . You should have gotten them a while ago, all it took for me was a follow up email and I got everything back in January.

They have stated several times in this update that the kickstarter supporters will not lose out on anything by this change. They are basically just contracting further development of the PC and Android clients to Playdek, who have already have a quality product and experienced developers.

I have no doubt that Stoneblade would have done a fine job with Ascension Online given enough time, and the beta client had promise. But Wizards of the Coast has kept development of MTGO to themselves, and look how that has turned out so far. Can you blame Kibler and the others for not wanting to go down that same path?

Ya I am not even remotely happy after pledging 500 plus, having the box down graded to a cheap looking shoe box, t-shirts never came and I bought a extra Stoneblade one. Like most others I have a ipad and everything for it already. What's next no foil cards? I would love to have my 500 back and just keep playing what I already have with playdek. I will gladly give them 3 bucks Instead each new expansion.